• About
  • Offices
  • Careers
  • News
  • Students
  • Alumni
  • Payments
  • EN | FR
Background Image
Bennett Jones Logo
  • People
  • Expertise
  • Knowledge
  • Search
  • FR Menu
  • Search Mobile
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
View all
Practices
Corporate Litigation Regulatory Tax View all
Industries
Energy Infrastructure Mining Private Equity & Investment Funds View all
Advisory
Crisis & Risk Management Public Policy
View Client Work
International Experience
Insights News Events Subscribe
Arbitration Angle Artificial Intelligence Insights Business Law Talks Podcast Class Actions: Looking Forward Class Action Quick Takes
Economic Outlook New Energy Economy Series Quarterly Fintech Insights Quarterly M&A Insights Sustainability & the CIO
People
Offices
About
Practices
Industries
Advisory Services
Client Work
Insights
News
Events
Careers
Law Students
Alumni
Payments
Search
Subscribe

Stay informed on the latest business and legal insights and events.

LinkedIn LinkedIn Twitter Twitter Vimeo Vimeo
 

Bennett Jones Litigation Team Wins Major Claim Against China National Offshore Oil Corporation Subsidiary

April 01, 2025

On March 14, 2025, the Court of King’s Bench released its judgment in CNOOC Petroleum North America ULC v 801 Seventh Inc. After discovering small concentrations of an asbestos-containing material from construction in the 1980s, CNOOC terminated its lease of the entire Nexen Tower, a major high rise office building in downtown Calgary, with twelve years remaining on its lease. CNOOC relocated its staff to another building and left all 37-floors of the Nexen Tower empty. The landlord, a syndicate of a major pension fund and five prominent Calgary families, sued. 

The case was divided into liability and damages segments, and a sixty-day liability trial ensued. The Court found that the tenant’s breach was unlawful and unjustified, and that its purported safety concerns, if validly held at all, were a substantial overreaction to a non-existent threat. The Court found that the building was completely safe, and would remain so. 

The case, which has been closely watched by commercial landlords in Alberta and the rest of Canada, will now move to the damages phase. Damages are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars of lost rent.

The trial judge's comprehensive decision, encompassing more than 1000 paragraphs, provides important and rare judicial guidance on a number of subjects, including the interpretation and operation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the duties of parties to carry out their contractual obligations in good faith. 

The Bennett Jones team, which includes commercial litigators Blair Yorke-Slader KC, Michael Mysak, David McKinnon, Ciara Mackey, David Wahl, Tyler McDonough, Alicia Yowart and Heather Taskey, represents the landlord.

Read the full decision here.

Related Links

  • Insights
  • Media
  • Subscribe

Related Expertise

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Commercial Real Estate
  • Property Development & Real Estate

Recent Posts

Articles

Canadian Mining Journal: Strategies to Safeguard Your Royalty Interest

June 03, 2025
       

In The News

Mining Industry Hopeful Canada's Pro-Resource Plans Boost Investment

June 02, 2025
       

In The News

Follow-Ons and Convertibles in Canada’s Equity Capital Markets

May 29, 2025
       

Client Work

Silver Viper Minerals to Acquire Cimarron Gold-Copper Project from CSAC Holdings Inc.

May 27, 2025
       

Updates

Class Actions: Looking Forward 2025

May 22, 2025
       

Speaking Engagements

Lincoln Caylor Speaks on Report Writing in OBA Investigation Series

May 20, 2025
       

In The News

How To Stay Resilient in an Uncertain World

May 16, 2025
       

Announcements

Bennett Jones Wins Big at Benchmark Litigation Awards

May 09, 2025
       

In The News

Managing Risk Amid Tariff Chaos

May 09, 2025
       
Bennett Jones Centennial Footer
Bennett Jones Centennial Footer
About
  • Leadership
  • Diversity
  • Community
  • Innovation
  • Security
Offices
  • Calgary
  • Edmonton
  • Montréal
  • Ottawa
  • Toronto
  • Vancouver
  • New York
Connect
  • Insights
  • News
  • Events
  • Careers
  • Students
  • Alumni
Subscribe

Stay informed on the latest business and legal insights and events.

LinkedIn LinkedIn Twitter Twitter Vimeo Vimeo
© Bennett Jones LLP 2025. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
Logo Bennett Jones